Portable Game console

While Black Friday is over and done with, and we're knee-deep in the savings that come with Cyber Monday, it looks like Nintendo made a killing off the Black Friday week. They sold plenty of consoles, which include members of the DS family, as well as the Wii home console. They sold enough, in fact, that the company feels like a formal press release is the right thing to do. Some may call this bragging, but then again, when you've sold as many consoles as Nintendo did, there might be a little room to do that.

With Black Friday just around the corner, and plenty of deals and exclusives beginning to pop up here and there, Nintendo is looking to spice things up with a pair of brand new colored DSi portable gaming consoles. The new consoles are a Black Friday exclusive, and they're being announced by Nintendo directly, which means the new mobile consoles should be arriving in plenty of retail locations.

Right about this time is when I received the HTC HD7, unboxed it, and started playing with the Windows Phone 7-based device. I thought it was only fitting that I timed the final article in our week long look at the device around the same time I first got my hands on it. We started with the hardware, and then we took a look at the software. Lastly, we took a quick glance at the applications available for the device, both natively, carried-based, and third party. All in all, while there have been a few hiccups along the way, the HD7 has managed to not suck after a week of usage. But now, as we wrap it all up, we're looking at arguably the biggest feature of the device: Xbox LIVE integration. So, is it everything I thought it would be? Or is it just another feature that has a lot of potential, but isn't worth the time right now? Find out after the cut.

There are a few people within the video game development world that when they speak about a particular console, no matter who manufactures it, you listen. One of those people happens to be John Carmack, co-founder of id Software. That particular company just released a new title for the iPhone and iPad, called Rage HD. The title is a First Person Shooter (FPS) title that's meant to show off the power of the iPad, but according to Carmack, they haven't even begun to touch on the power of the device.

As we get closer and closer to the launch of the 3DS, which is still a little ways off, it's no surprise to see Nintendo's own Satoru Iwata travelling more and more. While he may not be just going around to specifically sell the 3DS to developers, that's obviously at least one part of the trip. And it looks like it may be paying off, if this new report pans out. According to Iwata, developers are already clinging onto the 3DS, more so than they ever did with the DS, way back in the day.

For a short time, the rumors regarding the second version of the traditional PlayStation Portable were picking up speed, which would lead some to believe that a spy photo would inevitably break cover before too long. But, that still hasn't happened, and in fact the rumors and speculation started to quiet down. We've heard in the past that the device was already in the hands of developers, that the PSP2 would feature a touch-pad on the back of the mobile console, and that it would not only feature a camera on the back, but also one on the front. These new rumors actually enforce a few we've heard in the past, but it looks like Sony isn't in any rush to get the new handheld gaming device to the market.

If you are someone who's a fan of the PSP, then you've probably desired some kind of dual joystick set up for some time now. And, while we wait to see what Sony has in store for the world when they launch the PSP2, we're stuck with what we have. But, thankfully we've got a company like Gametech Bear out there, who have decided to make the desires of so many PSP owners out there finally come true: stick a PS3 controller onto your PSP Go, and bring the full controller happiness to your mobile gaming experience. Just, minus the mobile.

When Nintendo showed off the 3DS, the handheld gaming console that would let you play 3D games without the need of glasses (and letting you turn it off whenever you want, too), there general consensus was a good one. It seemed, even if Nintendo didn't have an exact time frame for a launch date (at the time, which they've recently fixed), that the company had a winner on their hands. But, immediately following the announcement, and with Nintendo cleverly not including a price tag, the questions began circulating: how much would it cost. Well, it seems Nintendo didn't have a clear idea either, at the time, but thanks to the positive reports from this year's E3, and the subsequent "gushing" from the media regarding the device, Nintendo made up their mind. And it was a pricey decision.

If you hadn't heard, the Nintendo 3DS got an official release date of February 26th in Japan, and it's going to cost quite a bit. As soon as the announcement broke, revealing the price, gamers in Japan immediately began saving, even if they weren't consciously aware of it. But now, it looks like there may be something else to buy between then and now: the Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary DSi LL edition. Which means the Wii isn't getting all the anniversary love.

The speculation around the launch of the Nintendo 3DS is picking up speed. Today's news, coming from a German tabloid called Bild suggests that the launch date may indeed be sooner than that previously mentioned November 20th, And with Nintendo's announcement regarding pricing and release dates coming on September 29th, still, the rumor mill is picking up speed with speculation and anticipation fueling the motion.

What is it about mods that turn regular consoles into portable ones that so excites us? Perhaps we'll never know the answer to that vaguely inconsequential question, so for now let's just marvel at ModRetro forum member Techknott's Game Cube Portable.

It's the DSi on steroids, the portable console for the poorly sighted, for your grandparents, for anyone with big hands and big pockets. On sale in Japan for several months now, the Nintendo DSi XL has only just arrived on North American shores. Not so much a replacement, then, for the DSi as its chubbier sibling; check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.